National Graduate Development Programme 2016 council information pack As the Local Government Association’s national graduate development programme begins its next recruitment campaign, we are keenly aware of the increasingly difficult financial decisions which face many councils in the coming year. Attracting and retaining top talent in a time of austerity can be difficult, but we believe that the ngdp can provide councils with their next generation of managers: individuals who can make a real difference during their time on the programme and beyond.

Local government needs people with the leadership and management skills to shape its future, and the National Graduate Development Programme (ngdp) for local government exists to meet this need.

This pack provides an overview of the ngdp – the LGA’s graduate recruitment scheme for local government – and shares the experiences and views of some of the councils and individuals who have been involved.

The ngdp is highly regarded by councils, graduates and the wider sector, ranked in the Times Top 100 Graduate Employers and Guardian UK 300. It increases the credibility of a career in local government to graduates and has provided a pipeline of consistently high calibre trainees to over 150 authorities through 17 cohorts. Evidence shows that councils who place our national management trainees can expect:

- individuals with leadership potential, who are able to rise to a challenge and hit the ground running
- increased capacity to deliver high level initiatives
- good value for money.

For many councils, restricted budgets have meant that graduate recruitment may have been reduced or stopped. Whilst we understand and respect why cuts in this area have been necessary, we believe that any extended hiatus in graduate recruitment will have adverse consequences for councils and the sector in the medium to long term. A missing generation of graduate intake could severely impact your ability to develop and innovate for the future.

We hope that this pack provides a compelling case for your council to participate in the ngdp. Please examine our flexible recruitment pathways so that we can help you attract and retain the brightest and best in the public sector. What is the National Graduate Development Programme?

The ngdp is a two year high profile national management trainee programme for high calibre graduates (minimum 2:1 entry level or merit at Masters level) with the potential to become senior managerial leaders in local government within the next ten years. Graduates are employed by councils and receive a minimum of three placements in front line, operational and strategic roles, where they are encouraged to challenge, innovate and improve services.

The LGA coordinates the ngdp nationally and provides the infrastructure for its delivery. Our marketing and recruitment methods attract, select and place high quality applicants in local authorities. We also manage and commission the learning and development element of the programme to ensure the highest quality learning.

Both the placements and learning and development programme are carried out in parallel so that the graduates, called national management trainees (NMTs), can implement their learning whilst working on real projects within councils.

The ngdp also provides national management trainees with networking opportunities across sectors and with central government, supporting and developing relationships at an early stage in individuals’ careers.

A vibrant alumni network and a range of online tools support NMTs’ career progression in local government, providing knowledge and experience which they can use to benefit the sector.

Learning and development

The learning and development programme is delivered by a partnership led by SOLACE Enterprises. National management trainees are expected to attend six residential events over the two years where they will gain a diploma in Leadership and Management (ILM Level 7).

The overall purpose of the programme is to develop future leaders and managers within local government.

The objectives of the programme are:

- to enhance personal effectiveness as a leader and manager
- to increase self-awareness and awareness of others
- to enable participants to critically evaluate the leadership challenges facing local government
- to provide participants with high level capabilities in strategic management and leadership.

Content will include:

- leadership models
- new operating models
- financial management
- procurement and commissioning
- project and people management
- engagement
- working in a political context
- delivering results
- developing self. What does the ngdp offer to councils?

As a national scheme, the ngdp promotes local government to the graduate market on behalf of all councils in England and Wales. It provides the sector with high quality graduates every year to work on innovative strategic projects across councils providing fresh challenge, enthusiasm and high motivation to enable councils to increase innovation and enhance their programmes of change and transformation.

“I believe that the National Graduate Development Programme is an excellent way to recruit new talent to local government. There is no doubt that Nottinghamshire has benefited from the injection of talent and energy that our national management trainees have brought to the council.”

Anthony May, Chief Executive, Nottinghamshire County Council

“In Doncaster, we are long term supporters of the National Graduate Development Programme as part of developing our future leadership capacity and have always been impressed by the capability, innovative approach and work ethic of the National Management Trainees.”

Fiona Dudill, Senior OD Officer, Doncaster Council NMT Placement Manager

“The council is a huge supporter of ngdp. Graduates are in demand across the council for the ideas, skills and fresh insight they bring. They are recognised as high calibre staff members with much to offer the council as it seeks to modernise.”

Nick Walkley, Chief Executive, Haringey Council

The ngdp provides councils with outstanding individuals who can significantly influence that council’s services and outcomes over the duration of the programme. Why should my council take on ngdp national management trainees?

Graduates bring energy, enthusiasm and intellect, demonstrating an ability to rise to a challenge and hit the ground running. The ngdp provides councils with national management trainees who have leadership potential and the capacity to modernise, challenge and improve services and service delivery. They are highly capable members of staff, working at a high level and delivering significant outputs on a variety of projects and initiatives.

In the medium to long term there is a strong financial case for graduate recruitment; graduates are reported to generate three times their salary per annum. Being part of the ngdp allows councils to start thinking earlier about longer-term succession planning and future leadership potential. Growing your own talent is cheaper than recruiting higher up in the management structure, and taking on a graduate through the ngdp ensures you will have additional corporate capacity and capability at a senior level. National management trainees enhance strategic projects by acting as internal change agents, providing challenge and fresh thinking. They have the focus to turn strategy into action and are practical problem solvers. Retention within the immediate local government sector is 88 per cent.¹

“WSCC has found the NGDP an invaluable way to develop talent and introduce them to the world of local government. Graduates bring a fresh, innovative approach and as they rotate through the council they invigorate each team they have contact with. They are really focussed and enthusiastic because they want to make an impact in the short time they have within each team which brings new ideas and processes that have a long and lasting impact.”

Gill Stewart, Chief Operating Officer, West Sussex County Council

¹ Last survey conducted in 2010 The national management trainee perspective

Rachael Campbell Cohort 16, London Borough of Islington

The ngdp is extensive, rigorous and demanding – I couldn’t ask for better training on a fast track to a management role.

My placement at Islington Council has allowed me to develop in ways that would have been unimaginable anywhere else. The borough faces many of the sorts of issues I am interested in – inequality, social exclusion, ethnic integration – and after discussing them at my interview I have been actively encouraged to choose placements and work based on these ideals. My projects have also been incredibly wide-ranging, from a report on Housing Innovations to support digital inclusion, to creating a new Domestic Violence Strategy. I’m given plenty of chances to demonstrate my own initiative and develop management skills: for example I’m currently overseeing the corporate volunteering scheme for the entire council.

The culmination of all of this is that the most rewarding aspect of the scheme is feeling as though your efforts are actually making a difference: to the council, to local communities or to the lives of individuals. It’s amazing working alongside people with similar values, all of whom face difficult work situations with unending reserves of patience and enthusiasm. I learn as much from the people as the work, and colleagues and managers alike have been extremely supportive of my role as an ngdp graduate. I am encouraged to go on training courses that will help my development, to volunteer as a mentor and a charity trustee to ensure I’m well-rounded and to shadow staff from different areas so I have as comprehensive a view of local government as possible.

Another key aspect of the scheme are the relationships you develop amongst your cohort, which become a really valuable resource for future networking. There is a strong focus within the scheme to prepare you for a management or leadership role within local government – this is all conveyed strongly through the capability framework that guides your placements, the senior-level exposure that the scheme promotes and the accompanying ILM qualification that acts as a framework for your on-the-job learning.

Fran Stanning Customer Development Manager, Oldham Council

I graduated in 2008 from the University of Sheffield and spent four years working in fashion retail management before deciding on a change of direction. I became frustrated that the work didn’t really reflect my values, it was all about targets and making a profit. Local government seemed like a better fit. I was offered a place at Oldham and was drawn to the council’s sense of energy and innovation. As a trainee I particularly enjoyed leading a pilot project to introduce the ‘Troubled Families’ approach to one of the local areas. Although I never met the families myself, to know that we were turning lives around was really powerful.

I now work as Oldham’s Customer Development Manager as I’m still passionate about delivering customer service. The role involves managing customer service projects and the contracts for the council’s Contact Centre and Access Centre, so my experience in the retail sector is providing useful. It’s great to see that I can use my skills and experience to make a difference rather than a profit.

Like other councils, Oldham is having to make significant budgets cuts and find new ways of delivering services. Our cooperative approach is about supporting and enabling residents to help themselves. It is a challenging but rewarding time to be in local government. Our focus now is on doing more for less and working closely with our public sector partners.

Edith Galliers Policy Manager, London Borough of Redbridge

I joined the ngdp at Wellingborough District Council in January 2005. The relatively small size of the council meant that I was not restricted to one specialist aspect of work as my skills and ngdp training could add value across a wide range of projects and most services at some stage. I was involved in everything from frontline youth events, countywide local strategic partnership work and supporting the chief executive with internal change management. Every day was different and it exposed me to many different aspects of working in local government.

The scheme provided me with the opportunity to build my theoretical base as I studied part time with 50 peers throughout the two years. This enabled me to bring new thinking to the council and link in with best practice around the country through ngdp networks. I believe that the scheme has underpinned my subsequent career development. My experience working at different levels of a council during the ngdp has enabled me to switch between working strategically and operationally easily, making me a stronger middle manager, able to translate and represent resident and corporate views to a variety of audiences.

My links to the ngdp also opened opportunities to volunteer. Some examples include being a director of the Wellingborough Volunteer Bureau, working in Tower Hamlets with the local area partnerships linking residents and service delivery together and running volunteer groups for Friends of Ibba Girls School who are building a boarding school in South Sudan. Each volunteering opportunity has directly arisen from my involvement with the ngdp and the networks it has generated.

Having worked in a variety of positions in London Borough of Barking and Dagenham since completion of the scheme, I moved earlier this year to the post of Policy Manager at London Borough of Redbridge. I work closely with senior managers and elected members to develop the strategic direction of the organisation, leading on policy, strategy, engagement and corporate projects. My days are varied and I enjoy being able to draw on my early experience of community development to ensure the corporate work we deliver has maximum impact. The council perspective

“Working in South Tyneside, there is no shortage of big projects to get involved in and William was thrown in at the deep end right from the beginning, supporting a range of strategic initiatives across the council.

One such example was a root and branch review of our directly provided adult social care services – covering about a dozen schemes, £9 million expenditure, and over 300 staff. William oversaw the entire review, liaised with care staff, social workers, HR, finance and commissioning colleagues, and carefully balanced the need to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the services.

As a result, we are now exploring a range of new models of delivery for these services and have already made significant improvements to how they operate.

South Tyneside has always benefited hugely from the ngdp (I was a previous trainee myself!) and William has been no different. His ability to develop strong working relationships, his persistence, attention to detail and good humour has helped us greatly.”

Mark Jupp NMT Placement Manager South Tyneside Council

Supporting graduate recruitment – the way that suits your council

We are aware that whilst the ngdp provides councils with access to a national pool of high calibre graduates some councils may wish to recruit from their own communities. We have broadened our offer to reflect this and are pleased to now provide a range of options for councils who wish to participate in this national programme at a local level.

What does it cost my council?

The salary of the graduate over the term of their two year contract is set at a minimum of £23,698 per annum (accurate as of November 2014 and excluding London weighting). Each option outlined below comes with a one-off fee paid to the LGA once the national management trainee has started. The options

1. National management trainee

**Full participation in the ngdp:**

**Promoting the sector** We market local government as a premier career choice for graduates across the UK and promote the ngdp roles available in your council.

**Meeting the standard** We recruit and select the highest calibre graduates for you to interview.

**Growing capacity** We support each NMT on the programme with a high quality learning and development programme and provide access to national networking and knowledge events.

You employ your chosen NMT(s) for two years ensuring a minimum of three different placements with your council.

**It costs you:** £23,698 per annum NMT salary + £2,300 per graduate participation fee payable to the LGA

2. Shared national management trainee

All the benefits of participating in the full programme but NMT(s) and their placements are shared between councils.

Partnerships and practical arrangements are the responsibility of councils involved.

Cost is divided proportionally between participating councils: £23,698 per annum NMT salary + £2,300 participation fee payable to the LGA

3. Local recruitment for management trainees

Supported recruitment and equal access to the ngdp’s learning and development diploma in Leadership and Management (ILM Level 7).

Your council markets its NMT position(s) to candidates from your local area and shortlists applications. The ngdp then facilitates the assessment of your nominated local candidates to ensure they meet the national standard. Successful candidates will become part of the national cohort with access to ngdp learning and development, networks and knowledge events.\*

**It costs you:** £23,698 per annum NMT salary + £2,300 per graduate participation fee payable to the LGA

4. Grow your own management trainee

Giving qualified graduates you employ access to the ngdp’s learning and development diploma in Leadership and Management (ILM Level 7).

Your council markets its NMT position(s) to new or existing graduate employee(s) and shortlists applications. The ngdp then facilitates the assessment of your nominated internal candidates to ensure they meet the national standard. Successful candidates will become part of the national cohort with access to ngdp learning and development, networks and knowledge events.\*

**It costs you:** £2,300 per graduate participation fee payable to the LGA

As each NMT is already your employee, salary remains at your discretion.

\*All candidates must pass the ngdp’s assessment benchmarks to take part in this initiative. Recruitment and assessment can be supported until the end of July 2016. For more information, please contact Sadie Kerr: sadie.kerr@local.gov.uk Promoting the sector: marketing graduate opportunities

‘Grow your own’ case study: Aylesbury Vale Case Study

While most councils take part in the ngdp through the programme’s national recruitment arm, there are other ways to take advantage of the scheme’s benefits depending on your organisational needs.

At Aylesbury Vale District Council (AVDC), the ngdp’s ‘grow your own’ option presented an interesting solution to some of our organisational needs. We’ve had our challenges structuring the programme to get maximum benefit from it, but we would recommend the ngdp as a great opportunity for your existing graduate employees.

The ngdp appealed to our council for a wide range of reasons. We saw the programme as a significant development opportunity which we could offer to existing staff. This, we hoped, would encourage the retention of our growing talent, give staff the advantages of a wider network, increase the pool of talent for future leadership roles in the council and bring the benefits of the ngdp’s ILM qualification to our employees and council more widely.

Two members of staff at AVDC were chosen from several applicants to take part in the ngdp: one currently working in housing and one based in communications and marketing. It has certainly been a challenging experience for them both, balancing their daily responsibilities with extra opportunities and the ngdp’s learning and development programme. One of our ngdp participants is also part-time, so that’s been an important aspect to work around. Ultimately, time has been tight for our trainees but the ngdp has been a useful and rewarding aspect of their working lives.

As our trainees are already in jobs with full sets of responsibilities, we have worked creatively to mimic the kind of exposure and opportunity which a rotation of placements undertaken by national trainees would provide. We have given our trainees opportunities to take days off for their ngdp action learning sets and provided expenses for their travel to meet with other ngdp trainees. The council’s senior staff, including the chief executive, have been made available to mentor and guide our trainees’ careers (rather just giving them work).

The council has tried to use our trainees’ ILM qualification as a way of expanding their experience and bringing benefit to the authority. Our trainees worked on a project in business transformation, partnering with private enterprise on an initiative which made savings and generated income. This project gave them the opportunity to take an initiative outside of their usual areas and scope of work, carrying a piece of work from concept to design and then on to implementation. The project outcome received regional and local news coverage, raising the profile of the council, and has got the potential to save us money and generate an income stream in future. The trainees’ next projects are expected to follow the trend of bringing additional benefits to AVDC.

If you are looking for a way to identify existing talent in your council, we would recommend the ngdp as an effective solution. It has helped to raise the profile of our trainees in the council and given them the opportunity to prove themselves in challenging situations. Even the ngdp’s assessment process has been helpful: staff who applied and were not chosen for the ngdp have now been identified as those seeking further career development and been successful in achieving promotion.

For other councils considering internal recruitment, our biggest piece of advice is to consider how each trainee would manage the additional time commitments that come with the ngdp alongside their existing job role. If this is planned in advance, the council and the trainee will get the most out of the ngdp’s opportunities without sacrificing their day-to-day effectiveness. How does my council get involved?

To sign up for the 2016 ngdp intake, please complete the participation form online or at the end of this guide by 1 April 2016.

- **Talk to the LGA about signing up to the scheme** Discuss participation in the programme, and how you can benefit from the next cohort of high-calibre national management trainees.

- **We can come to you** We can come and meet your team to talk in more detail about the ngdp and how it can work for you.

- **Speak to a council that is already engaged** If you’d like to hear some first-hand experience of the ngdp and how it has worked in another council, please let us know. The LGA can put you in touch with another authority that can tell you all you need to know about participating, and can give you their honest opinion.

For any of the above please contact Sadie Kerr from the ngdp team: 020 7664 3283 sadie.kerr@local.gov.uk

Commitments

**What commitments does my council have to make?**

The full list of council commitments is available in the ngdp partnership agreement, however at a glance we ask councils to:

- Conduct the local ‘best fit’ interview at the end of the recruitment process. Information will be provided by the LGA at the appropriate time and councils are required to adhere to the LGAs interview guidance and timeframes.

- Employ national management trainees on a (minimum) two-year fixed term contract.

- Pay national management trainee salaries at Spinal Column Point (SCP) 27 of the national pay scale: £23,698 per annum (accurate as of October 2015 and excluding London weighting). This is expected to rise to SCP 29 (or equivalent) over the course of the programme.

- Organise a minimum of three placements for each national management trainee over the two years in front line, operational and strategic roles.

- Volunteer staff to assess at national assessment centres (full training is provided).

- Nominate a member of staff to be the placement coordinator for the programme, once the council’s national management trainee(s) is in place.

The LGA will:

- Annually subsidise the programme on behalf of councils in England and Wales, using RSG (revenue support grant).

- Market the programme to high calibre graduates across the UK.

- Assess candidates’ suitability through a rigorous and established multi-stage recruitment process, with the final selection process, the local best fit interviews, taking place locally at participating authorities.

- Provide candidate information events where councils participating in the programme have the opportunity to market themselves and meet candidates who have successfully completed the assessment stages of the recruitment process.

- Fund and organise a national programme of learning, development and networking.

- Produce a partnership agreement outlining the expectations of LGA, councils and national management trainees. Key dates for 2015

- **November 2015** Window opens for councils to sign up to participate in the ngdp.

- **March 2016** Candidate Assessment Centres held. Participating councils asked to volunteer assessors.

- **1 April** Deadline for councils to sign up to the programme.

- **15 and 18 April** Information events held where councils can meet shortlisted graduates.

- **May** Council interviews held.

- **September and October** National management trainees start placements. All trainees must have started work before the first day of the ngdp National Induction.

- **mid-October** ngdp National Induction.

All graduates must be employed no later than the first day of the national induction event for employer liability and other insurance purposes. Council participation form 2016

Please complete all sections of this form and return to the ngdp team at the LGA. Your form must be received by Friday 1 April 2016 at the latest.

Name of council/s:

How many graduates are you applying to take from the 2015 intake?

Options and LGA fees

1. National management trainee Full participation in the ngdp £2,300

2. Shared national management trainee Full participation in the ngdp £2,300 (shared proportionally)

3. Local recruitment for a management trainee ngdp learning and development programme £2,300

4. Growing your own management trainee access to ngdp learning and development £2,300

Contact Please provide details of a member of staff who will be the single point of contact that the ngdp team can deal with on programme matters at this stage. This doesn’t necessarily have to be the person who will be the placement coordinator once the programme starts.

Name: Position: Department: Telephone: Email:

Chief Executive commitment Name/s\*: Date\*:

Thank you for completing the form Please email the completed form to: sadie.kerr@local.gov.uk or send to: The ngdp team, Leadership and Localism, LGA, Local Government House, Smith Square, London, SW1P 3HZ

An online version of this form can be accessed directly from here or via the ngdp area of the LGA website: www.local.gov.uk/ngdp. Once you have appointed your national management trainee/s we will ask for contact details of your placement coordinator and senior champion of the ngdp within your council.

- We can provide up to 120 places on each cohort of the ngdp. If demand for these places exceeds supply, the LGA may distribute places at their discretion between participating authorities to ensure that a maximum number of councils benefit and that the distribution of places remains geographically diverse.